This invention is generally related to distributor type fuel injection pumps for controlling the quantity and timing of injection of fuel into the cylinder of an engine, and in particular is related to a distributor type fuel injection pump in which the metering and timing of injection of fuel is controlled by a single electromagnetic control valve.
Distributor fuel injection pumps in which the time of injection and the period of injection are both controlled mechanically or hydraulically are well known in the art. However, recent advances in electronics have resulted in the development of electronic fuel control systems which are capable of very accurately computing fuel quantity and timing requirements in response to one or more operational parameters of the engine. These electronic control systems include electronic control units which are capable of not only computing the required fuel quantity, but also the time at which the fuel is to be injected into the cylinder to optimize the engine's performance. One such electronic control unit is disclosed in application Ser. No. 945,988. Another electronic control unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,154. Both disclosures are incorporated herein by reference. Also recently, the invention described in the above-referenced application Ser. Nos. 6,948 and 6,949 were developed, the application of the invention being initially in the field of unit injectors, however, it has been discovered that inventive concepts described in the above-referenced application could also be applied to distribution pumps to great advantage. The resulting application of that unit injector technology to distribution pumps has resulted in the invention of the present application.